Discuss changes to creativity that individuals experience in the aging process

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Creative accomplishment tends to peak in the late thirties or early forties and then decline, but with considerable variation across individuals and disciplines. Some people produce highly creative works in later decades. And as with problem solving, the quality of creativity may change with advancing age—in at least three ways. First, youthful creativity in literature and the arts is often spontaneous and intensely emotional, while creative works produced after age 40 often appear more deliberately thoughtful. Perhaps for this reason, poets produce their most frequently cited works at younger ages than do authors of fiction and nonfiction. Poetry depends more on language play and "hot" expression of feelings, whereas story- and book-length works require extensive planning and molding. Second, with age, many creators shift from generating unusual products to combining extensive knowledge and experience into unique ways of thinking. Creative works by older adults more often sum up or integrate ideas. Mature academics typically devote less energy to new discoveries in favor of writing memoirs, histories of their field, and other reflective works. And in older creators' novels, scholarly writings, and commentaries about their paintings and musical compositions, learning from life experience and living with old age are common themes. Finally, creativity in middle adulthood frequently reflects a transition from a largely egocentric concern with self-expression to more altruistic goals. As the middle-aged person overcomes the youthful illusion that life is eternal, the desire to give to humanity and enrich the lives of others increases. Taken together, these changes may contribute to an overall decline in creative output in later decades. In reality, however, creativity takes new forms.